考博英语（阅读理解）模拟试卷144
阅读理解
Less than 40 years ago in the United States, it was common to change a one-dollar bill for a dollar\’s worth of silver. That is because the coins were actually made of silver. But those days are gone. There is no silver in today\’s coins. When the price of the precious metal rises above its face value as money, the metal will become more valuable in other uses. Silver coins are no longer in circulation because the silver in coins is worth much more than their face value. A silver firm could find that it is cheaper to obtain silver by melting down coins than by buying it on the commodity markets. Coins today are made of an alloy of cheaper metals.
Gresham\’s Law, named after Sir Thomas Gresham, argues that \\
1.Why was it possible for Americans to use a one-dollar bill for a dollar’s worth of silver?(C)
A. Because there was a lot of silver in the United States.
B. Because money was the medium of payment.
C. Because coins were made of silver.
D. Because silver was considered worthless.
解析：本题可参照文章第1段的第一句：…it was common to change a one-dollar bill for a dollar’s worth of silver.从中可知，以前用1美金钞票兑换价值1美元的银币是很平常的事情，紧接着作者给出了原因——银币在当时的确是由银制作的。因此C项是正确答案。
2.Today’s coins in the United States are made of______.(D)
A. some precious metals
B. silver and some precious metals
C. various expensive metals
D. some inexpensive metals
解析：本题的依据是文章第1段最后一句：Coins today are made of an alloy of cheaper metals.因此D项为正确答案。
3.What is the difference between \\(C)
A. They are circulated in different markets.
B. They are issued in different face values.
C. They are made of different amounts of gold and silver.
D. They have different uses.
解析：本题可参照文章第2段第2句，从中可知良币和劣币的差别在于它们有不同的商品价值，而第3段中又提到政府使用便宜的金属和金银混合以降低货币的实际价值，而且从事金银交易的人可以区分两种货币的不同，因此C项为正确答案。
4.What was the purpose of the governments issuing new coins by mixing cheaper metals with gold and silver in the 16th century?(D)
A. They wanted to reserve some gold and silver for themselves.
B. There was neither enough gold nor enough silver.
C. New coins were easier to be made.
D. They could make money.
解析：本题的依据是文章最后一段的第3句：The governments could thus make a profit in coinage by issuing coins that had less precious metal than the face value indicated.从中可知D项为正确答案。
By the mid-nineteenth century, the term \\
5.What is the main idea of this passage?(C)
A. The influence of ice on the diet.
B. The transportation of goods to market.
C. The development of refrigeration.
D. Sources of the term \\
解析：从文中内容可知，作者一开始谈到冰盒在美国出现，逐渐进入美国家庭，后面又提到人们一直都在尝试更有效地利用冰来保鲜。从中可知C项为正确答案。
6.According to the passage, when did the word \\(B)
A. In 1803.
B. Around 1850.
C. During the Civil War.
D. Before 1880.
解析：本题的依据是文章的第1句：By the mid-nineteenth century，the term “ice-box” had entered the American language…..从中可知B项为正确答案。
7.The word \\(D)
A. basic
B. sufficient
C. necessary
D. undeveloped
解析：本题可参照第2段第2句。这句的意思是“在19世纪早期，作为制冷科学关键因素的热学知识还没有……”，而紧接着的一句“那种认为最好的冰盒就是阻止冰融化的常识自然是错误的”，从这句话可以判断当时人们对热学并不了解，引申这个意思就可以知道 rudimentary 的意思肯定是负面的，因此D项是正确答案。
8.The sentence \\(C)
A. Moore’s farm was not far away from Washington
B. Moore’s farm wa
本文档预览：3500字符，共11614字符，源文件无水印，下载后包含无答案版和有答案版，查看完整word版点下载
